A few days ago I was listening to CBC radio, as I was driving to work, when I heard about a recent study that has shown an association between household cleanings products and increased risk of developing childhood asthma. I totally forgot about it until today when I noticed Mr. Noel Pendergast RRT sharing a link to the content on his Facebook page. My reaction when I first heard about this was: “Of course!”. We never actually think about it, but it sure makes sense.
A Known Concept?
It’s interesting that I can recall a childhood memory when during a family gathering, Dr. Nehzhat shared his concerns about bleach as a routine household cleaning solution. Side note, he is a chemist and one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Back to the main point… “Please stop using bleach. Don’t breathe that in. Cannot imagine what that will do to your lungs”. Ongoing exposure to the fume, specially in a non vented area, could lead to respiratory changes for any individuals (regardless of the age).
Various Cleaning Chemicals
I worked as a lifeguard for few summers and even then I wondered how dealing with concentrated liquid chlorine may impact people’s breathing.
If I had to share my thoughts with my patients, I would recommend limiting exposure to harmful fumes and chemicals. Also, make sure that the area is well vented. I am not sure if I would be as comfort recommending masks as THE solution, as this false hope may lead to unnecessarily and higher and longer exposure periods. Side note- realistically, how many people are properly mask fitted and educated about the right mask for the right task?
Be Aware and …Clean
This is not to take away anything from proper hygiene, clean environment and limitation of irritants including known triggers.
Thoughts?
What are your thoughts on this?
Resoures
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/7/E164
For the full article please visit the following link:https://www.cmaj.ca/content/192/7/E164
Why you should take the time to update your portfolio?
The new year has begun, and hopefully, you are excited about
it! Documenting your achievements,
awards and projects as you go along seems great but not always a convenient
step. Here is your chance to take a
step back and document them.
So why do this?
We get busy and forget to document our achievements
throughout the year. It will help you save time when it comes to updating your
resume, filling out your annual employment review, realizing your areas of
strength, and help with your goal setting and career planning.
Stepping back and looking at your achievements with a quick
glance can help you practice gratitude and build confidence.
It is also a good reminder for certification deadlines and
professional organization renewal dates.
Where you can document your progress
At the end or beginning of the year, set aside time to
update your portfolio. By portfolio, I
refer to whatever system you have in place to organize your resume,
professional documents, and continuing education files. Once you establish a system, updating it
should become much easier, more rewarding and less frustrating.
Personally, I use a cloud system that is free and easily
accessible from any electronic system that can connect to the internet. I personally use Google Documents because it works
for me.
I already have existing folders and documents which help me
track my continuing education activities.
Creating a new document or adding to the bottom of your year-end page,
you can update your accomplishments.
Questions to help you track your accomplishments
To simplify things here, think about these three areas: Projects, courses or certificates, and
skillsets.
What were some projects that you were part of (employment or
volunteering)?
Which courses or certificates have you completed or renewed?
What new skills you have learned or strengthened?
(Optional: Publications, Test Scores, Awards, Languages,
Patents and other relevant categories)
Start Now!
Access your existing paper portfolio or your secure and
accessible cloud/online folder. Answer
the three questions mentioned in the previous section.
Bonus: Think about your upcoming year personal or career
goals to see if your accomplishments support your goals. What are some activities that support you in
your path? The answer to these questions
can help you set goals for your upcoming year!
Tell me about your process?
What has helped you? Also, what
are some of your memorable accomplishments over the past 12 months? What are you looking forward to
accomplishing?
It was a few years ago during Respiratory Therapy Week that I started a tradition for myself. During RT Week I would reflect and write a note to recognize and thank individuals who have directly or indirectly made an impact in my respiratory therapy practice over the past year.
Over the past 2 years, I have been spending a lot of my spare time on RTSO activities. I get to witness an amazing work by a great group of people. First and foremost, thank you, Nancy Garvey! She continues to contribute to this field without asking for anything in return. Gino De Pinto, thank you for the energy you have brought back to this organization. Sue Martin, thank you for your ongoing care for RTSO. I appreciate your courage to look after an area of organization that requires the most amount of attention. Sue Jones, thanks for your efficient and effective leadership approach. Hope you can save us one more time. Shawna MacDonald, thank you for continuing to do wonderful work with Airwaves despite having limited resources. Kelly Hassall, I look forward to working on more projects with you! David Offengenden, your support of Nancy is vital to the operation of this organization (thank you for ongoing dedication). Rob Bryan, you may have stepped down to give space to the new team, however, your years of service at this organization is clear and still noticeable and appreciated. Dilshad Moosa, you were given a difficult assignment and you still took the challenge (thanks for your dedication and contributions). To all the members of RTSO who have renewed your membership, thank you! As Sue Jones clearly described at the 2019 Leadership Summit and Inspire Conference, if we don’t have the majority of RTs supporting the organization, why would the government listen to our voice of concern and advocacy? Thanks for supporting RTSO. We advocate for our patients on a day to day basis, advocating for our profession should be as important.
Making a transition from provincial to the national. CSRT. Thanks to the board of directors, president, CEO, administrative team, and volunteers! A special thank you to
Carolyn McCoy for her contributions to CSRT, and on a personal note, on her ongoing guidance and mentorship. A thank you to Carly Brockington for her patience with me (as a novice peer reviewer). A quick thanks to a retired member of CSRT, Christiane Menard. Your interest and support of my blog fueled my interest in supporting the RT organization. Thank you.
Through CSRT, I have met many wonderful individuals and I would like to give a quick shoutout and thanks for their ongoing support of my online presence: Brandon D’Souza, Sebastien Tessier, Christina Dolgowicz, Marco Zaccagnini, Thomas Piraino, Noel Pendergast, Frank Fiorenza, Dave Wall, Greg Donde, Mika Nonoyama, Dave Sahadeo, Lynard Higoy, Kuljit Minhas, Katherine Nollet, Christina Sperling, Patrick Nellis, Karl Weiss and many more (my apologies if I have missed your name).
Moving to a global level. Thank you to Bernad Ho (Bsc, RCPT), Thomas Piraino, Mika Nonoyama, Eric O Cheng, Frank Fiorenza, and Andrew West for your involvement and advancement of RT practice and image on a global level.
On a corporate level, thank you to John Meloche (Melotel Inc.) for supporting my online presence. Just like Christiane Menard, you have been one of my first followers/supporters.
Also, thank you to the Novus Medical Inc. for their huge role in the support and growth of the diagnostic side of respiratory care in Canada.
Congratulations to Tony Kajnar on receiving the Pinnacle Award from the RTSO. Despite all the resistance and barriers in your way, you have not given up and continue to advance and grow the diagnostic side of our profession. I also appreciate your mentorship over the years.
To my mentors, a huge thank you to Carolyn McCoy, Thomas Piraino, Christina Sperling, Nancy Garvey, Mika Nonoyama, Mieke Fraser, Kathleen Olden-Powell and Noel Pendergast (I am sure that I am missing some names here).
Carole Hamp and Kevin Taylor, I may not have direct contact with you, but I do recognize and appreciate your hard work at CRTO.
Kari White and Madonna Ferrone, I may not really know you two but keep up the great work!
RT schools, I have noticed and appreciate your increased online involvement. More online presence, a higher RT representation!
Dave Wall and Greg Donde, thanks for starting an RT podcast. Seb Tessier, Dave Sahadeo and I had previously spoken about this void and glad you guys started RTAudio.
A quick shoutout to my Markham Stouffville Hospital RTs that help me stay sane at this crazy fast-paced PFT lab: Carolyn Greer, Kim Dixon, Perrin Michael and Sheery Tse.
A special thank you to my amazing wife, Jessica Morgan, who despite having an ongoing busy schedule, makes time to support and encourage my RT involvement.
As I type this thank you post, I become increasingly nervous and worried about the names that may have escaped my mind.
If you have read this far, I am very impressed and thankful. On that note, a huge thank you to my followers. I know that I have not been as active. That is not due to lost motivation or interest. For the last 2 years, I have been volunteering with RTSO, assisting in various projects and goals. As I become more efficient at my roles, I will redirect more time into my blog and online activities.
I have had recent questions about the reduced number of social media posts, interviews, blog contributions, and in person social meet-ups. This is a temporary phase! For the past year and half I have been volunteering with Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario (on board of directors and helping with their social media). Also, I am getting married this summer. While my fiancee is taking care of most things, we both dedicate a lot of our spare time to tasks and errands associated to the big day. I appreciate your patience and look forward to more interactions starting this fall.
Lynard Higoy is a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) whose presentation I attended at the 2019 Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists’ (CSRT) annual conference. He was energetic and passionate about the topics he presented. He works as a community RT, covering a vast area. His role greatly depends on interprofessional collaboration. I wanted to find out more about his work, and the work of independent or community RTs, so I connected with him over many emails. Thank you Lynard for sharing your perspective. Also, a big thank you to CSRT for exposing me to many amazing speakers at your conferences, such as Lynard.
Please join me as I interview Lynard:
I have a great interest in hearing about the spark or series of events that shape people’s decision to study respiratory therapy. How did you find out about the Respiratory Therapy field? Why did you choose to study RT?
It was pure accidental! I did not get in to the pharmacy program so I went to U of M’s school of Med Rehab open house. My original plan was to attend the open house for the physiotherapy program. Then I remember seeing different types of ventilators, Intubation kits, Jackson-reese and a pig lung. It was love at first sight and the rest was history.
You have been practicing for some time now. Can you share with us some of your memorable roles so far?
First one is when I was invited to be a speaker in the previous CSRT conference held in Niagara Falls. And also, when I was part of the Deer Lodge Centre Pulmonary Rehab Team In Winnipeg that won the 2014 Commitment to Care and Service Award, Collaborative Team Initiative.
I love the rural practice because you can spread your wings and maximize your scope of practice! Everyday is a different challenge! I may not be flying with STARS or part of the transport team, I may not be assisting with intubation in the trauma room but the acknowledgment and appreciation of my clients made me think that I’m a very valuable asset in the community. Since I’m the only respiratory therapist in Vegreville , Two Hills and Lamont employed by Alberta Health services, I have the feeling of accomplishment whenever doctors value my recommendation. The most memorable in my role as a community RT is when I was in doing some grocery shopping and my former pulmonary rehab client approached me with her daughter and told her “ This is the guy that helped me breathe better! Without him and his breathe easy program I won’t be here.” that is the most memorable moment for me so far as a community RT.
I think most of us go through the RT program thinking of the acute care aspect; Appreciating the immediate life and death decision making that can impact patients. With experience and exposure to patient care, we realize that there are multiple dimensions to patient care. Each role or setting is unique and vital to patient care. Seems like you have had the opportunity to experience and contribute to patient care in various settings. I have a quick question about the location. How did you end up covering Vegreville, Two Hills and Lamont ? Are you originally from that area or moved there for work? If you moved there for work, what contributed to that decision?
So I’m originally from Manitoba (U of M alumnus) and practiced there for 3 years. I followed my heart and moved to Alberta to be with back with my then girlfriend and now my Fiancée. It was a challenge to find a fulltime job in Edmonton especially as a community care RRT. I got a job offer in the private sector (Lakeland Respiratory) in Vegreville which is approximately 100 km east of Edmonton. The selling factor for this job was I’m going to run a pulmonary rehab in the town hospital so I said yes and took the offer. Then after 8 months my current position opened and I applied for it. I been in this position for 2 years now and liking it every single day. : )
Because of my current and previous work settings, I have had in person RT support within seconds to minutes away. Your experience has been different. Can you tell me about the planning, consideration, thinking framework, challenges and opportunities when working by yourself?
My piece of advice when you are in rural practice and working by yourself….. Don’t be scared to ask for help! I think this is when Inter professional collaboration comes in as a very important tool to be successful. I don’t work in my own silo anymore, I welcome ideas and expertise from other healthcare professionals such as OT, Physios, Exercise Specialist. Recreation, Social Work, Therapy assistants, Sleep Language Pathologists, Nurses and Admin assistants. At the end of the day, we all wanted one goal and that is to improve the well-being of our clients. My CSRT presentation “Screening for Dysphagia in COPD assessments” was a product of collaborating with our community SLP to reduce the rates of COPD exacerbations due to aspiration Pneumonia. The camaraderie of healthcare professionals working in rural areas are something that I admire, they are always there to help you all the time.
Also, working alone makes you realized how your research methodology course back when you were an undergrad is not to be discarded. Consider research journals as your friend if you have to work alone. If doctors asked me a respiratory question and I don’t know the answer, I’ll either contact my professional practice lead or search the Web for evidence-based practice research that can support my ideas.
Interprofessional efforts, communication, collaboration and trust are important part of patient care, as you have already mentioned. Was that the culture in place when you began working there, or was it something that had to be worked on?
The answer is both! The culture was in place before I started working here but just like every other worksite, you have to earn your keep. You have to prove that you are trustworthy, easygoing, that you value not only your job but the rest of the team and that you are not just there for the money but rather to always put your heart in what you do.
You mentioned articles and journals as one of your references. Do you have any favourite resources that you can share with us? Also, how do you support your growth? What’s your approach to continuing education? Beside teaching patients and their families, do you get the opportunity/train other healthcare providers?
Yes, The CJRT, Pubmed, Science direct, and others. I’m a big fan of everything as long as it came from a reliable source. I totally support professional growth and continuing education. I’m currently pursuing my post baccalaureate diploma in Leadership and Management through Athabasca University, Faculty of Business which is one of my prerequisites for the MBA program. If time permits, I attend workshops, read journals, webinars and seminars that will help me with my everyday practice.
Yes, because of the nature of my work since I’m the only Community RT in my rural area, I serve as a respiratory clinical resource and I cross train other healthcare disciplines with RT work such as oxygen therapy, emergency trach changes, lung volume recruitment strategies and many more.
What’s your approach to teaching students and staff? What advice you have for RTs to be better preceptors? Also…what advice do you have for students to maximize their opportunity to grow and learn? In your opinion, what are some qualities that makes one a quality RT?
My advice, don’t be a smart aleck! I’m a big advocate of transformational leadership in healthcare. In order for them to succeed, you have to motivate them, inspire them and let them grow away from judgment and intimidation. Also, being a role model for students in order to raise interest and understanding with the stream that you work. Allow them to know their strengths and weaknesses so they would be able to self-reflect on their performance. You know you did a good job if one day they came back and say.. Hey you’re my RT hero and I’m following your footsteps. A quality to say this RT is the best?? I would say……. Being able to look beyond self-interest to the common good.
What has attracted you to the Leadership and Management? What made you decide to pursue MBA?
Management is where I have wanted to be since I was an RT student. I know as a community RT I am helping respiratory clients with my respiratory expertise such as smoking cessation, pulmonary rehab etc., but I think I want to work and be a catalyst for change in the management/senior leadership level. In this level, I would be able to work upstream and be involved in health policies that can substantially improve not only the respiratory health of Canadians but rather the whole Canadian healthcare system.
How do you see the future of our field?
I want to see more RRTs stepping into management and senior leadership roles. I mean not just respiratory therapy managers but management roles that have been dominated by other healthcare professionals. With our RRT skills such as juggling multiple tasks, time management, grace under pressure and resiliency, I believe we would be successful in these roles.
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies?
If I’m not at work, either you’ll see me at the gym or at the lake. I like working out pretty much every day. I love both fishing and ice fishing. I also love to explore the world with my fiancée.
Any final words?
Keep the Respiratory Therapy Passion burning!
Thank you Lynard for opening my eyes to more unique perspectives. Also, thank you for your dedication to our field and the interprofessional team that looks after the patients. By sharing your views and experiences, you have helped to further represent our field and the work of respiratory therapists across all the healthcare settings. Congratulations on your engagement and good luck with your studies. I expect that the RT community will hear more about your achievements in near future.
A special thank you to the followers of this blog. Thank you for supporting a stronger RT presence!
